131 replies to this topic

[Phan]

Hollie #1 – The band got a little silly and “automated Casio beat #29”-like towards the end, but she nailed it vocally.
Colton #1 – Just… no on so many levels. Colton’s #1 song is him taking a #2 on stage.
Elise #1 – Now it makes sense why she didn’t do “Dog Days Are Over” last week (too soon?). She tends to start strong and loses the momentum mid-performance. It makes for good performances, but not great ones.
Phillip #1 – Standing O? Standing no. [Ohhh, snap!] Still his best performance in the last three weeks, though.
Jessica #1 – The one thing I thought Jessica did that I liked was that she wasn’t picking the IDOL standards. Now she doesn’t even have that. “Fallin’” is like the oatmeal of song choices.
Skylar #1 – Loved that song on her. Very nice.
Joshua #1 – Such a stupid, stupid song choice. It was sung well though.

Round #1 Faves: Hollie, Skylar, Phillip.

Hollie #2 – I feel, overall, this was the first night Hollie’s nerves were in check. Great vocal, but a trite IDOL choice.
Colton #2 – Terrible. Does anyone else notice that before J. Lo judges she looks at either Randy or Steven? It’s almost like she’s checking with them about her own opinion before she says anything.
Elise #2 – Raspy and smooth. Very, very good. Oh, for Christ’s sake, she needs to cry in front America? That’s your critique? At least Steven kind of made sense.
Phillip #2 – And... we’re back to the gargling Drain-o voice.
Jessica #2 – I liked it, didn’t love it. Nadia Turner owns that song on IDOL.
Skylar #2 – Kind of plain, nothing special from her here, which is disappointing.
Joshua #2 – I didn’t hear the tension in his voice that the song deserves, but vocally it was spot on.

Round #2 Faves: Elise, and sort of Jessica and Hollie. I thought Round #2 was kind of average at best.

I cannot BELIEVE they gave Joshua two more standing ovations! What the fuckety fuck fuck fuck? He was not remotely that good!

Going home: Hollie or Elise.

[Bleeding Love]

The speech J.Lo gave Elise after her second song about needing to connect to the audience and feel the music and smile, she needed to give that speech to Jessica. No, Randy, not everything Jessica does vocally is great. "Try A Little Tenderness" was kind of awful.

Oh, and they totally stole from The Haley Reinhart Playbook in how they dealt with Hollie tonight: trash her for a few weeks and then take credit for her great performance.

Edited by Bleeding Love, Apr 18, 2012 @ 9:03 PM.

[msburg]

Best were Hollie wholly, Skylar and Joshua partially. Issues with the rest.

Colton was awful tonight -- the "rocker" look for song #1 was so cliched in a bad way. His Earth, Wind & Fire was soul-less. And I noted there was no standing "O." yay judges for not caving in to this!

Elise blew it tonight. Will not be surprised if she is done tomorrow.

P2 -- Again, soul-less on his Wilson Pickett. Liked how he injected soul into his Usher song, a little ironic?

Jessica was so desparate tonight. Alicia was very karaoke. Try a Little Tenderness was cold and (yet again) soul-less. Elise would've killed this one.

Skylar was good on Gaga -- what was up with the telephone poles on song #2?

Joshua -- both songs alright, but too similar. Hope it's enough since he's one of my favorites.

To sum up: any song that had Bari sax as backup became a favorite -- I love me some bari sax!

Edited by msburg, Apr 18, 2012 @ 9:11 PM.

[Janie1130]

Good Gawd Almighty Jessica screamed, growled and BUTCHERED one of my favorite songs. Try a little tenderness next time. UGH.

[ceelee2]

I finally figured it out on Phils second song when he was strutting around.He is offically the son of Taylor Hicks and Bill Cosby.

[CK17]

6! 6!?! straight standing O's for solos Joshua performances. C'mon, that's just ridiculous.

Shocked that Jessica didn't go last(only one left that hasn't) or a standing O.

Round 1 - Jessica, Hollie, Phillip
Round 2 - Everyone was kinda terrible.

Bottom 3 - Hollie and Elise for sure. Should be Colton, but he's a WGWP. Probably Jessica.

[vb68]

They were gunning for either Hollie or Elise. They don't care which one. Kill Hollie with kindness and then rip Elise to pieces because according to them, she has no real fanbase. But Elise was so much better in round two than P2's ugly faces. I seriously could hear the song but his contortions were dialed up to the max.

I had to laugh after Hollie's first and Randy saying it wasn't perfect or whatever, my mom said "Oh honey, don't ever take criticism from a guy in an ugly lavender jacket." Cracked me up.

I cannot BELIEVE they gave Joshua two more standing ovations! What the fuckety fuck fuck fuck? He was not remotely that good!

And Colton did not get his, did? And after he begged for it for last week.

Edited by vb68, Apr 18, 2012 @ 9:16 PM.

[Bad Thoughts]

I usually don't notice the "musicians" who are playing on stage. Tonight, however, some of them were completely awful in their pantomime. Particularly odious were the woman with the guitar behind Colton and the guys with the fiddle and mandolin, who looked like they hadn't a clue how to play.

[susannot]

I figured out my criterion for voting: is the contestant as good as or better than Adam L.? The only person since Season 8 that has qualified for me is Crystal Bowersox doing "Up On The Mountain."

To be on topic, I had high hopes for Josh Ledet doing "A Change Is Gonna Come." A civil rights anthem, relevant to both Adam and Josh. I was disappointed, but still happy because Adam retained his crown as the person who did the greatest version ever of this wonderful song on the show.

Still, Josh was the best singer and I voted for him.

[kems28]

"U Got It Bad" made me like a Phillip performance for the first time ever tonight. That was really good. Then, of course, he had to get back to his ridiculous self on "In the Midnight Hour." My roommate and I decided he looks possessed when he sings without a guitar, with the lurching and the weird faces. It takes me completely out of his performances.

Skylar remains my favorite, but I had to throw a few votes Elise's way just because Jennifer's critique of her made me so mad. Jessica has never ONCE emotionally connected to a song, but of course she just gets "I can't even judge you because you're so good." What the fuck ever, show.

[HeadlessOne]

Ladies and gentlemen, I have been (tenuously and without any real commitment) initiated into the cult of Phillip2. I thought his idea for an Usher interpretation would turn into a smoking ruin, but Phillip actually pulled it off. He didn't take too much a departure from the spirit of the song, notably by neglecting his run of serial killer faces, and he applied a soft touch to the melody...something I really didn't think he was capable of.

Skylar! You know, she's a force of nature. Even if she sings a few notes out of key here and there the sheer power of her personality as filtered through her stage presence will sweep you along. I'm really rooting for this mini-Reba!

Oh, Colton. Did you really think that your voice could handle an Earth, Wind, and Fire song? Did you not see how a song of such tremendous energy would demonstrate your weaknesses as a vocalist/performer?

Jessica might be done for. Her voice is unmatched; the girl's raw talent is undeniable. She can't however connect to her audience. There's always something missing when she sings, as if in place of all that gives a person a recognizable presence she has a gaping void.

Didn't mind Elise...more for the first outfit than anything else though.

Oh, who is that blonde saxophonist? I've seen her before during one of Casey's more memorable runs.

Edited by HeadlessOne, Apr 18, 2012 @ 9:23 PM.

[meowrr]

As much as I hate to say it, I think Skylar had the best night. (I am so NOT a Skylar fan.) This being said- I totally believed that Kellie Pickler had a country music career ahead of her, no matter what Simon thought. I think the same about Skylar- she doesn't do much for me but I can see her taking over the Reba slot.

Jessica does what she does. Phillip did what I think will win the AI title, unless Colton did just a little bit more. What is up with the Joshua pimping? Is he that popular? Sorry Elise, I like you but the bus has run over you and is backing up, unless it's for both you and Hollie.

[Shiny Objects]

Hollie - Thought she pretty much nailed the first song, although it's so overplayed that I pretty much never want to hear it again. Second song was less good, still competent, but a dumb choice.

Colton - First song was dumb, second song was awful. Hey guy, My Chemical Romance is so 2004!

Elise - First song was a dumb song choice, and she needed to stop shouting at me in the second song.

Philip - First song was pretty good, for him, second song was vaguely reminiscent of Taylor Hicks. That's not a compliment.

Jessica - She did well on the first song, but you're going to pick "Fallin'?" REALLY?! And the second performance was shouty and tuneless.

Skylar - Country Gaga was pretty good, the second song was eh, and my local news butted in with a newsbreak in the middle of it because they are incompetent. But I don't feel that I missed much.

Joshua - Any contestant who sings a past winners' magic rainbow song deserves whatever they get. I couldn't fault his vocals on either performance though, he really did sound quite good.

Seems like they're gunning for Elise and Hollie the most. I was surprised to hear the judges actually criticize Colton because to me, his second performance tonight was just as dumb as nearly everything else he's done this season. I mean, it stood out because he sucked all the life out of a fun, upbeat song that everyone likes, but vocally and performance-wise it sounded just like everything else so it was weird for them to be criticizing it all of a sudden.

[imjustababyduck]

Ceelee2: I finally figured it out on Phils second song when he was strutting around.He is offically the son of Taylor Hicks and Bill Cosby.

Staying in the Idol family, I was gonna say if Taylor Hicks and David Cook had a kid they would name it Phillip Phillips.

One of the overall better shows of this season (although that is not saying much).

IMO the bottom 3 will be Elise, Hollie and Jessica with Elise going home.

[Ohwell]

That loud, whirring sound you hear is Wilson Pickett spinning in his grave. Phil's performance of "In the Midnight Hour" ranks up there as one of the top 5 worst performances I've ever witnessed on American Idol. Just fucking awful.

And Colton's emo or alt-rock version basically destoyed "September," one of my favorite Earth, Wind & Fire songs.

Jessica butchered just about every note she sang. Skylar's kuntry ass made me go to the bathroom and just sit awhile and wonder why I ever watchc this show anymore.

Joshua wasn't as good as I (or he) thought he would be on "A Change is Gonna Come." I don't think the judges thought it was all that either but they still felt the need to give the standing O.

At least I could stand to listen to Hollie. She was decent and I hope she doesn't go home tomorrow.

I'll just pretend Elise wasn't there.

Edited by Ohwell, Apr 18, 2012 @ 9:31 PM.

[sinycalone]

I thought Skylar gave two bad performances...the first song (Born this way) was never on key, and she just shouted most of it. Grapevine...just no. To quote a friend: Tonight Skyler has reminded me of a drunken girl at a Karaoke Honky Tonk Bar.

I liked PP's Midnight Hour -- got him out of his rut, and suited him. First time I really enjoyed his performance in weeks.

Elise - I like her so much, but neither of those songs are gonna save her. Just middle of the road.

Jessica - she might be going home.

Colton - liked the first one (not great), but the EarthWindFire song was boring.

Hollie - RITD was her best of the night, although SOAPM wasn't too shabby.

Joshua - thought he nailed both songs, but I Believe is not a good song. And Change is Gonna Come has been done too often. He was the most conistent...but I don't think either song was worth a standing O. Still my favorite.

Edited by sinycalone, Apr 18, 2012 @ 10:06 PM.

[rustyspigot]

Was Elise trying to pull the Stifler's mom vibe? I laughed out loud when she was lounging on the couch. Just stop!

So Hollie got her accessories from spare parts of a chandelier and Jessica got hers from Cher's Half Breed collection?

I just wanted to take an industrial sized leaf blower to Colton and his second performance.

The lyrics to "Believe" are quite something.

[proserpina65]

Hollie: Her first song was better, but she did good tonight. (I loved the little video greeting from LFC - Steven Gerrard and his groin says for Hollie to sing good. Hollie says: I will sing good, Steven Gerrard. And he was like "..." and she was like "...")

Colton: He was Colton. He's not my bag, but he's good at what he does I guess. I think he's a dead cert for the final 3.

Elise: She was terrific on the Alicia Keys song, not quite as good on Let's Get It On but still much better than the judges gave her credit for. I'd love to see her make the final 3 but I don't think she's got the fanbase to do it.

Phillip: In the Midnight Hour was quite good, but that Usher song? Man, I would sooooo buy that, and will as soon as it's available on I-tunes. He's the other lock on the final 3. He should stay behind the mic though, no more Torgo stomping around stage.

Jessica: That was an excellent impersonation of Alicia Keys on Fallin'. And that was what was wrong with it too - it was an impersonation, not a scrap of Jessica to be found. Try a Little Tenderness sucked, and I don't just mean compared to the immortal Otis Redding. It was just bad. And enough with the BeBe Chez crap.

Skylar: Born This Way was really good; I Heard It Through the Grapevine was terrific. Best of the night, even better than Phillip and Elise. She's my stealth pick for the final 3. (Do you think that fiddle player follows here everywhere now? I can just see it: "I'm going to the bathroom now - you can just stand outside the door.)

Joshua: I actually liked the restraint he showed on I Believe (and I really don't like that song) even with the choir, but then he had to go shit all over Sam Cooke (and Otis Redding and the Neville Brothers) with his second song. Ugh.

My top 3: Elise, Phillip, Skylar
My bottom 3: Jessica, Joshua, and um, Hollie or Colton, doesn't matter which 'cause I'd send either J home and be very happy
Real bottom 3: Jessica, Elise and maybe Joshua, with Jessica going home. I don't think she'll get a bump from the save, if the responses I've read to her bottom appearance last week is anything to judge by - it hasn't been nearly enough outrage to help her in my opinion.

[selkie]

Why did Colton sound like John Bon Jovi on his first song?

[proserpina65]

Skylar was good on Gaga -- what was up with the telephone poles on song #2?

Because she heard it through the grapevine! Get it, get it? Jeez, Idol's graphics people are soooo literal, although at least they didn't use photos of actual grapevines, so that's something, I guess.

I seriously could hear the song but his contortions were dialed up to the max.

I love Phillip, but to be honest, I usually listen without actually watching much of his performance, especially when he tries to move around the stage. (I tend to listen rather than watch most of the contestants for that matter.)

[TheFinalRose]

Hey Fox, if you are going to give so much camera time to the fiddler following Skylar around please hire Jesse Spencer next week. House is probably done filming, Jesse's out of a job, but I've seen him fiddle before and he'd add some needed eye candy to this show.

Elise is going home tomorrow. I think Jessica will get a little panic voting tonight, just enough to put her over the edge, but BeBe Chez will go home next week, fer sure. Hollie did good, I always FF through PPs performances (cuz they are all the same, thank you ). I can't help it, but I like that Joshua picked the Fantasia theme song. It always reminds me of when she won and that is always a good memory. Who else? Oh yeah. Colton. Snore.

Kris Allen tomorrow night! Whoo Hoo!

[proserpina65]

Why did Colton sound like John Bon Jovi on his first song?

Colton wishes.

[the macguffin]

There just is no excuse for these terrible, boring song choices.
Hollie's first song was well performed, and she won 'best dressed' of the night for both her outfits. I think TPTB put her first and then helpfully pointed out her 'foreign-ness' with malice aforethought.
Colton looked even douchier than usual, and both his songs were unrecognizable. Are you kidding me that Sister Christian picked that song and then hunted and pecked through the lyrics for the least offensive lines?
Jessica wore weird pantaloons for both songs; 'Fallin' was good...was she imitating somebody again, because it didn't sound like Keyes karaoke. Try a Little Tenderness was shouty and frantic, and sounded exactly like the Otis version, which I've never liked. Bad choice fro someone who should be trying to make herself loveable and vulnerable.
PP: ugh, I've had it with him, I'm not watching while he's on. Judges loved him I hear, feh.
Elise's song choices were stupid, and again, WTH was that red see-through shroud thing she was wearing? I think the judges spent longer telling her everything that was wrong with her than she spent singing.
Skylar's first song was fun; second was yell-y and manic. WTH was she wearing?
Joshua seemed, oddly, to feel that sappy Fantasia song more than Change Gonna Come. And again with the gospel choir, oy.
B3= Elise,Joshua,either Jessica or Colton. Elise goes home. (Should be PP).

Edited by the macguffin, Apr 18, 2012 @ 9:59 PM.

[Ohwell]

Are the judges giving Joshua standing O's to make Joshua's voters complacent and not vote for him? Is that their strategy to get rid of him? Because I can't for the life of me understand why they keep doing this. I noticed that during the second standing O tonight, Steven hung back in his chair until he felt like he had to do it. I think even he's now beginning to realize how ridiculous it is.

I've finally had a thought about Elise: No matter how well she sings or how hard she tries, she just looks tired and "old," like she's been through the wringer. Not fresh.

Edited by Ohwell, Apr 18, 2012 @ 9:57 PM.

[siddalee]

Hey Fox, if you are going to give so much camera time to the fiddler following Skylar around please hire Jesse Spencer next week. House is probably done filming, Jesse's out of a job, but I've seen him fiddle before and he'd add some needed eye candy to this show.

Man, I thought that guy *was* eye candy. Serious eye candy. Not that Chase isn't but new blood and all that...

I like Colton. Quite a lot, actually. His second song was by a pretty wide margin the worst performance of this season for me. WTF was that?

I hate Rolling in the Deep so much that I change stations when ADELE is singing it much less a never-ending parade of reality show wanna bes. I rewound Hollie's performance twice. It was that good. My favorite of the night.

Overall the worst night of this season I thought but still not that bad. I loved Hollie, really liked Skylar's Born This Way and Phillip's Grapevine, didn't hate Joshua for his A Change Is Gonna Come.

B3 will be Colton, Jessica and Elise. Elise is toast.

[spacecitymarc]

We are apparently doomed to two-hour performance shows from now until the heat death of the universe. Guuuuuuh. Two hours for seven contestants is TOO LONG. Remember when we used to crank through that in an hour, easy? The good ol' days?

If I may channel Paula for a second, Hollie looked gorgeous on "Son Of A Preacher Man." That dress was gorgeous on her, in defiance of every precedent she's set this season. And I liked her freakout at the well-wishes by Liverpool Football. Unfortunately, she's still a big, big yawn, vocally.

Colton: Earth, Wind & Owl City.

Steven Tyler, on Phillip: "With you, we never know what we're going to get." Unless Steven is living out some sort of Memento scenario, this is easily the stupidest thing said on the show this season. STUPIDER EVEN THAN ANYTHING RANDY HAS SAID, EVEN. And Steven said it not once but twice. Thumbs up!

Not that Randy's not still an idiot. To Elise, re: "Let's Get It On": "That song was wrong for your voice." No, the song was exactly right for her voice. Where she went wrong is in choosing a song that, like "Bad To The Bone" or "I Got You (I Feel Good)," exists primarily as a parody of itself by now. And it inspired Jennifer to give one of those pieces of incredibly trenchant criticism that she actually used to give before she fell into her attention rut. Elise DOES seem to be holding back. She WOULD benefit from a more sincere vulnerability. That's the best judging we've seen in ages. It's like seeing a white rhino, so fleeting was it.

Jessica's "Try A Little Tenderness," more than any performance I've seen from her, is what happens when someone apes another singer's mannerisms without understanding what they're actually about. She's talented like crazy, but she is purely a mimic at the moment.

Skylar's (I think) deliberate phrasing choices on "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" made it sound like she was remembering every lyric half a bar too late. I had a very hard time sinking into her version as a result. That's the sort of thing that might settle after I heard it a few times, though.

If I may take an obnoxious victory lap, I called Joshua singing "A Change Is Gonna Come" a month ago, because I have ears. Hooray, me!

And one final hat-tip to Steven Tyler for giving the contestants advice on how to give a performance strong enough to avoid elimination, and for waiting until the very end of the show to do it. Spectacular work as always, Mr. T.

[Artemis]

Does Lauren Alaina watch this show and realize that her career is over as quickly as it began? Skylar is a more energetic, more entertaining version of Lauren. They’re both cute and chubby little things with big voices, and I don’t think there’s room for both of them. I’m not a country fan, but Skylar is so lovable and watchable, whereas Lauren seemed kind of insecure and dull.

I finally figured it out on Phils second song when he was strutting around. He is offically the son of Taylor Hicks and Bill Cosby.

I agree with you on Bill Cosby – the mugging and what I call the “turtle dance”: pull your head into your shoulders, push your head out, repeat. But as much as I don’t enjoy watching Phillip, I have to say, after seeing Kris Allen tonight, P2 is possibly the best-looking guy ever on this show. He has impossibly beautiful eyes. It’s subtle because he doesn’t play it up or try to be pretty like Colton. I don’t find Colton attractive at all, especially his dark, beady eyes in his pale, pointy face. He looks like a ferret. And Colton’s outfits come across like a wannabe indie rocker at a high school talent show.

I had high hopes for Josh Ledet doing "A Change Is Gonna Come." A civil rights anthem, relevant to both Adam and Josh.

I know you’re talking about gay rights, but I think the original civil rights movement for which this was an anthem is still very relevant today in light of the outrage over Trayvon Martin’s murder. I wanted Joshua to put fewer frills and more emotion into it, because I think Trayvon deserved better.

As much as I am sick of the judges telling me who I’m supposed to vote for, I’m even more annoyed by them telling me how I supposedly vote. Randy’s line to Jessica about how the audience responds to emotion and that’s what they vote on is so dumb. I don’t need people emoting for me. Hollie is my favorite, and that’s because I love the sound of her voice. (Plus she did two of my favorite songs tonight, so that was awesome.) Hollie says she gets what the judges are saying and so she’s trying to show more emotion on her face. Which would be great, if music was a visual medium. But people LISTEN to music first and foremost. Video killed the radio star, and then Ipod killed the video star. If people still watched music, MTV would show music videos instead of Jersey Shore reruns.

Speaking of Hollie, it looked like her performance was so good the camera man fainted.

As for Jessica, I don't even know what her soul song was, because all I kept thinking was "Purple pantaloons. She's wearing purple pantaloons." Hollie actually won the wardrobe battle this week. Amazing!

[proserpina65]

Steven Tyler, on Phillip: "With you, we never know what we're going to get." Unless Steven is living out some sort of Memento scenario, this is easily the stupidest thing said on the show this season.

Absolutely. I mean, I love what Phillip does, but I do pretty much know what I'm going to get from him each week, with some small variations. Well, keep in mind, Steven also said "you gotta go low to get high" so he did offer a few words of wisdom this week. lol

[marsha]

It's beyond ridiculous the way the judges are wetting themselves over Joshua. I'm not saying he can't sing but, c'mon! He is just not that good. Also, didn't he screw up the final lyrics of "I Believe"? I'm sure he did and they don't even mention it? If anyone else had done this they would have been told to pack their bags. Also, Fantasia is my all-time favorite AI winner and her final performance of "I Believe" is (for me) sacred. I still watch that clip over on YouTube and she still make me cry.

I was beyond on the Elise train but I've a strong feeling she's on her way home tomorrow. Ah, well.

[tvweb44]

I thought Hollie, Skyler and P2 won the night even though Skyler and P2 hollered at me. Hollie is working through her issues and it showed. Her vocals were stellar. Skyler and P2 are always having a blast and it makes me enjoy them. P2 taking on Usher reminded me of Chris Allen's Heartless moment. Except for the gaggle of musicians. It was like a PFunk concert up there.

Middle of the pack - Colton, Jessica and Josh. September got Anwar Robinson the boot. Maybe emo boy Colton will have the same fate. Jessica and Josh brought back classic memories of stellar performances that they failed to live up to. Nadia absolutely killed Try a Little Tenderness. Gedeon McKinny killed a Change is Gonna Come and the FANT ASIA coronation song should not have been messed with - at all. Double fail on Josh for that. Jessica failed once for song choice and once for those ugly pants. I hope Jessica finds herself and has a nice career because her voice is the bomb. She's sounds like JHUD without the extra boom.

I'm sick of Elise now. Be gone! She's not working through her issues and it shows. She's not comfortable and that makes me uncomfortable. And this ...

I've finally had a thought about Elise: No matter how well she sings or how hard she tries, she just looks tired and "old," like she's been through the wringer. Not fresh.

Her hair has no volume and she should spackle that chin dimple.